CH 82.3

Chapter 82.3: After the Storm(Act 5 Epilogue)

It was also largely thanks to Regena-san pulling strings from behind the scenes by using her certain connections with the hero of light that the witch hunters didn’t dare do anything to us. We were saved by her.

「Uhm. Regena-sama. I think this much is okay.」

Suddenly, someone came out from behind Regena.

It was the lesser daemon with a black goat head, Zeal. It seems he’d hidden his figure until now.

「The same goes for you, Zeal-san. It’s thanks to my dear master that you’ve been pardoned and allowed to return to Nargol. You better not have any ideas about betraying him.」

「Yes. I have the utmost gratitude towards His Excellency.」

Zeal bowed to Regena when the latter warned the lesser daemon.

This lesser daemon called Zeal had an unexpectedly timid personality. I used to think that devils were an extremely terrifying beings, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Currently, Zeal was working in the labyrinth. The reason he came to Ariadya was nothing more than to see Ainoe’s situation.

It was only a while ago that I heard about the situation with Zeal and Ainoe for the first time.

Years ago, Zeal, who realized that he unknowingly betrayed the Demon King, was masquerading as a human and drinking his sorrows over being unable to go back to Nargol away in one of the many bars here.

That day, he met Ainoe, who danced with a melancholic look on her face– the same look that he had at that time.

Zeal, who felt something upon seeing Ainoe’s dance, then proposed to assist her.

Nevertheless, the way I looked at devils had already changed due to my first-hand experience during the latest event.

The citizens of this country feared that person, the Dark Knight, as a symbol of fear.

But, I saw the lewd look on his face when I showed my dance to him and couldn’t bring myself to think of him as a terrifying person.

The person himself didn’t seem to realize that fact but it was actually really obvious from a third party’s perspective.

Naturally, I never told my big brother about this matter. I mean, I was also a witch in a certain sense.

Different from the god of law, Oudith, or Faeria-sama, the creed of goddess of love; Ishtar-sama was a god of freedom of love without bounds. That’s why it was okay for me to love anyone, even if the other party was the Dark Knight.

That person, the Dark Knight, seems to have already returned to Nargol.

I want to know, what is he doing right now?

===

◆Ulbard

I was currently bowing down in the audience room of the Demon King’s castle.

「Lord Ulbard, I’ll entrust the management of the labyrinth to you.」

His Majesty the Demon King gave his decree.

The labyrinth was a place located far away from the Demon King castle and used to be ruled by a certain evil god.

As someone whose position is similar to an aide of His Majesty the Demon King, which I took pride in, this decree was akin to a demotion.

But, I had no choice but to accept it.

「Yes. This servant humbly accepts Your Majesty’s decree.」

I bowed even deeper than before.

I knew that both Myurenas and Zephyrus were looking at me with a cold, piercing look in their eyes.

It was mortifying but I had no choice but to endure it.

Even if they looked at me like that, this treatment could be considered as “mild.” I heard His Excellency had spoken in my stead, asking to reduce my punishment. Thus, I was sent to manage the labyrinth, a place far away from the Demon King’s castle.

Nevertheless, I never expected that His Excellency’s strength surpassed all of my expectations.

I looked at Mona-sama who stood beside His Majesty the Demon King.

Mona-sama was acting like this matter had nothing to do with her.

She was the one who’d ordered me to dispose of His Excellency in secret but now all of us knew that it was an impossible feat. Reason being, he was simply too powerful, no amount of deceit could defeat such an absolute strength.

Thus, Mona-sama had pretty much abandoned her plans to dispose of His Excellency in secret. Because even Runfeld, who was under house arrest for now, was no match against Your Excellency.

Plus, His Excellency seems to have received his own territory as an aftermath of this incident and he was pretty satisfied with that.

Thus, I reminded myself again that we should never try to provoke a dragon’s wrath no matter how docile they seem to be, ever.

===

◆Kuroki

「Thanks a lot, Kuroki. Thanks to you Lord Runfeld were able to return alive and well.」

Modes, who returned from the audience chamber, thanked me.

Under his own insistence, Runfeld was put under house arrest.

Though that punishment seemed to be too light, we had no choice since no one could replace him. We couldn’t punish him with a heavier punishment.

""

「Don’t mind it, Modes. Lord Runfeld is an important person for Nargol. There’s no way I can let such an important man die. That aside, the movements of the evil gods have been on my mind lately, but…」

Currently, there was no one but Modes and I in this room.

Thanks to that fact, both of us could speak as friends without a formal tone.

It was a scene that couldn’t be seen by common people.

「Diadone and the others, huh.」

I nodded upon hearing Modes’ remark.

The Serpent Queen Diadona was the 3rd major force who was hostile toward both Elios’ god and Modes’ faction.

In addition, they were planning to do something and move in secret.

「Yes. I’ve been wondering about what she’s trying to do.」

I took out the flute that I received back from Sienna.

This flute seems to be able to control specific types of monster.

According to Modes’ story, the merman in the Saird inlet had a similar flute. There might be some sort of connection between the two.

「That matter is still under investigation. I can’t let you do all the work. Let the others to do this investigation for you.」

Diadona was building her power in the western part of the continent to oppose Nargol. Modes had already sent his subordinates to go there to investigate.

「Thanks a lot. But, notify me immediately if something happens. I’m ready to move anytime.」

I left the room after I told him so.

「By the way, Kuroki.」

I stopped when Modes called me again.

「Is something the matter, Modes?」

「Did something happen between you and Rena?」

「Ugh!」

I slouched forward the moment he said Rena’s name.

STOP, LITTLE ME!! STOP ACTING WILDLY WHENEVER I REMEMBER THAT CERTAIN NIGHT IN ROX KINGDOM!!

That time Rena had used her time manipulation magic. She’d created a barrier and prolonged the passage of time inside that barrier.

""

In that way, we’d spent an extremely wonderful two weeks together. We went at it like rabbits in heat until both of us collapsed from exhaustion.

Really now, how did I forget about such a wonderful experience?

I mean, even now, I can still remember those moments vividly in my head.

It seems I wouldn’t be able to erase those wonderful memories. I mean, whenever I recall those memories, Rena’s nice, curvy figure immediately comes to mind.

Something like this wouldn’t settle down so easily.

「Is something the matter?」

「No, I’m okay. Well, there’s nothing special between Rena and I.」

To be honest, something DID happen but Rena was Modes’ enemy.

It wasn’t something that I could tell others.

「Are you okay, Kuroki? you seem to be in pain.」

Modes was looking at me with a worried look on his face.

「No. It’s nothing. There’s no problem at all. Well then, I guess this is it for today…」

I left the room while showing such an unsightly, slouching posture in front of Modes.

===

◆Kuna

Kuna sat on the throne of the sweet’s castle that had already become Kuna’s castle.

The sweet’s throne was made smaller to match Kuna’s stature.

Since there was an additional cotton candy cushion padding the seat, sitting on this throne was really comfortable.

Currently, Kuroki isn’t in the castle. He was called away by the demon king castle.

「How do you feel about your new body, Zand?」

I asked the clown in front of my eyes.

「Thank you very much, Kuna-sama. This wooden doll body feels really nice.」

Zand was dancing. It was a comical dance, the complete opposite of Sienna’s beautiful dance.

Well, that body did suit him.

I gave Zand a wooden doll body which allowed him to move around. Kuna was lacking pawns to move around. That’s why let’s make full use of this fella.

As a finisher, I even added a mask to cover his unsightly face.

「Now then, work your hardest for Kuroki and Kuna. Destroy Kuroki’s enemies.」

「Yes, Kuna-sama.」

Kuroki was a little bit too kind.

He’d even pardoned the low-lives who tried to kill him.

For that reason, Kuna would become the blade that eradicated his enemies.

Kuna touched the ring in her finger.

This ring was something that was bound to Kuna and the proof of her bond with Kuroki.

That’s why she needs someone else to move for her.

「For now, keep a watch on the heroes. Make sure that you hide your presence too, Zand. Understand?」

「Yes!」

Zand’s figure vanished after she said so. Zand’s ability to bypass any kind of barrier unnoticed was most suited ability to gather information.

Well then, since it’s about the time for Kuroki to return from the demon king castle, let’s go out to welcome him.

I went to the clothing room.

「Now then, let see which one I should wear this time.」

Sienna had imparted so much knowledge to please Kuroki to me.

My lower abdomen was becoming hot just by recalling the content of that knowledge.

Kuroki is mine, I won’t give him to anyone else.

Naturally, not even to that Goddess of Wisdom and Victory, Rena, who’d appeared that time.

「Nevertheless, who in the world is that goddess? Why she has similar face to Kuna?」

===

◆Rena

「Rena-sama, please stop acting recklessly like that…」

Nier spoke to me with a worried look on her face.

Nier had long since known about my pregnancy. Naturally, I wasn’t stupid enough to tell her about the father of this child.

I have to rest periodically since I was pregnant.

But, I couldn’t help but keep wanting to move around.

「I know Nier. I’ll rest properly this time.」

I went back to Elios right after Kuroki and co retreated. So now, I’ll rest properly this time.

「You must, Rena-sama. Well then, I shall excuse myself. Please call me whenever you need anything.」

Nier left my room after she excused herself.

「Well then, it seems I really need to rest this time. Plus, I also need some sort of excuse to not leave my room.」

I brushed my hand over my slightly bulging stomach.

The matter of my pregnancy was a secret. I only told a few tight-lipped people about my pregnancy.

I mean, Thors was definitely going to flip out once he heard about my pregnancy. That was something that I wanted to avoid at all costs.

Since my stomach would only become bigger and bigger after this, it was pretty much impossible for me to leave for the time being.

If they saw my inflated stomach, they would definitely discover my pregnancy. Therefore, I needed a solid reason to not leave this room.

Since many were still under the misconception that I’d fallen in love with that idiotic d*ckhead, let’s make full use of him by saying that I, who’s grieving by his loss, am refusing to leave my room.

「Good grief, why do I have to handle all of these troublesome things? I’ll make sure that you’ll pay for this, Kuroki…」

I smiled upon recalling Kuroki’s state at that time.